The field of the present invention is related to integrated circuit reference voltage generator circuits and more particularly to bandgap voltage generator circuits.
A voltage level independent of temperature, supply voltage and process variations, or reference voltage, is desirable for many integrated circuit applications. A well known method of generating such a reference voltage is referred to as a xe2x80x9cbandgap referencexe2x80x9d since this circuit relies on the bandgap of silicon as the basis for the reference voltage.
The bandgap of silicon determines both the voltage drop across a forward biased diode and the slope of the current-voltage curve of a forward biased diode. These values are predictable and are not subject to process variations and are thus suitable for a generating a generally stable reference voltage.
The voltage drop across a forward biased diode decreases as the temperature of the diode increases. The voltage increase required for increasing the current flowing through a diode by a factor of ten increases as the temperature increases. A bandgap reference voltage generator is able to achieve a constant voltage as temperature changes by offsetting one of these effects with the other. To offset one diode drop""s voltage variation with temperature, the voltage variation caused by about a 1010.5 change in current must be used. Diodes are not typically linear over so large a current change so methods that multiply a current change value are usually used.
A bandgap circuit can be achieved by using a current-voltage mirror to force the same current and voltage into legs one and two of a circuit and a current mirror to force the same current into a third leg of a circuit. The first leg of the circuit is a diode forward biased to ground, the second leg of the circuit is a resistor in series with a forward biased diode to ground, the diode in the second leg being ten times the size of the diode in the first leg. The voltage developed across the resistor is a function of only the slope of the forward biased diode current-voltage curve assuming the current voltage mirror functions perfectly. The third leg of the circuit is a resistor in series with a forward biased diode to ground. The resistor in the third leg has about 10.5xc3x97 the resistance of the resistor in the second leg and the diode in the third leg is the same as the diode in the first leg. The voltage across the third leg is a temperature, process and supply voltage independent voltage, assuming that the current-voltage mirror and current mirror function independently of temperature, process and supply voltage variations.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a combined block and schematic diagram of prior art bandgap reference voltage circuit 10 is shown. In the circuit 10 of FIG. 1, PMOS transistors 127,129 and 131 are identical. PMOS transistors 127 and 129 form a current mirror circuit that is coupled with NMOS transistors 128 and 130 that form a modified current mirror circuit (note that the source are not coupled together) in order to form a xe2x80x9ccurrent-voltagexe2x80x9d mirror circuit 12 as shown. Transistor 131 is a current mirror portion 14 for mirroring the current flowing in PMOS transistors 127 and 129.
PNP bipolar transistors 111 and 113 are identical in terms of emitter area. Note that transistors 111, 112, and 113 are all diodes formed using diode-connected transistors wherein the collector is shorted to the base of the transistor as is known in the art. PNP bipolar transistor 112 has 10xc3x97 the emitter area or alternately is ten transistors identical to transistor 111 wired in parallel.
The current-voltage mirror forces the current through 111 to be equal to the current through 112. The current-voltage mirror also forces the source voltage of 130 to be equal to the source voltage of 128. Such current-voltage mirror circuits depend on the transistors thereof to be operating in saturation as transistors operating in saturation conduct current substantially independent of the source to drain voltage. A 60 K ohm resistor is coupled in series between transistor 112 and the current-voltage mirror circuit 12 and a 630K ohm resistor is coupled in series between transistor 113 and the current mirror portion 14.
A capacitor 181 is coupled to the VREG output voltage. The capacitor is formed using an NMOS transistor 181 configured in a capacitor-connected configuration in which the gate forms the one electrode of the capacitor and the coupled source and drain forms the other electrode of the capacitor as is known in the art.
The voltage drop across diode 111 is equal to the voltage drop across diode 112 plus the voltage drop across resistor 160. The current through diode 111 is equal to the current through diode 112 but since the size of diode 112 is ten times larger than diode 111, the current density is ten times higher in diode 111 than in diode 112. Therefore, the voltage drop across diode 111 is higher than the voltage drop across diode 112 by an amount that is equivalent to a factor of ten current change. This difference in the voltage drop across diodes 111 and 112 increases as temperature increases and is therefore referred to as a Voltage Proportional To Absolute Temperature or VPTAT. It also follows that the voltage drop across resistor 160 is also a VPTAT.
Transistor 131 acts as a portion 14 of a current mirror in conjunction with the current-voltage mirror circuit 12 and attempts to force the same current through diode 113 as is being forced by the current-voltage mirror circuit 12 through diodes 111 and diode 112. To the extent that the currents through diodes 111, 112 and 113 are matched, the voltage drop across resistor 170 is 10.5xc3x97VPTAT. The voltage drop across diode 113 is a forward biased diode voltage. The output reference voltage at the drain of transistor 131 is designated xe2x80x9cVBGxe2x80x9d (for BandGap Voltage) and is the sum of the two voltages and is therefore relatively independent of temperature as the change of voltage of a diode drop is approximately equal to the change of voltage of 10.5xc3x97VPTAT but opposite in sign.
Differential amplifier 16 controls the gate of PMOS transistor 126 so that the output reference voltage VREG is regulated to the voltage at which the gate voltage of 128/129 is equal to the gate voltage of 128/130. This assures that PMOS transistors 127 and 129 are operating at substantially identical voltage conditions and VBG variations are eliminated due to increasing the VCCX supply voltage above this regulation point.
It can be seen that VREG output voltage is controlled to PVt+NVt+ a forward biased diode drop, wherein PVt is the threshold voltage of a PMOS transistor and NVt is the threshold voltage of an NMOS transistor. As NVt and PVt decrease, VREG approaches VBG, reducing the VDS across transistor 131. In the extreme case of very low NVt and PVt, VREG can be below the desired VBG reference voltage resulting in an undesirable VBG variation with NVt and PVt.
Referring now to FIG. 4, the undesirable variations in the VBG voltage with respect to the VCCX power supply voltage are shown, plotted at several different temperature and operating conditions. The SPICE simulation results for the bandgap reference voltage circuit 10 are shown in FIG. 4. Simulations were done at temperatures of xe2x88x9210xc2x0 C., 25xc2x0 C. and 105xc2x0 C. The transistor models used were typical for NMOS and PMOS (IT) slow for both (SS) and fast for both (FF). In addition corner models were used, fast NMOS, slow PMOS (FNSP) and slow NMOS and fast PMOS (SNFP). The variation of slow or fast models corresponds to approximately three sigma process variations. An undesirable VBG variation of about 130 mV was seen over all simulated conditions.
What is desired, therefore, is a bandgap reference voltage circuit that is more immune to process and temperature variations, yet takes advantage of the generally stable reference voltage generated by a typical prior art bandgap generator circuit.
According to the present invention a bandgap reference circuit includes a current-voltage mirror circuit having first, second, third, and fourth nodes, a transistor having a current path coupled between a source of supply voltage and the first node, a current mirror portion having an input coupled to the first node and a control terminal coupled to the fourth node, a serially coupled first resistor and first diode coupled between the output of the current mirror portion and ground, a serially coupled second resistor and second diode coupled between the third node and ground, a third diode coupled between the second node and ground, and a differential amplifier having a first input coupled to the fourth node, a second input coupled to the output of the current mirror portion for generating a bandgap reference voltage according to the present invention, and an output coupled to the gate of the transistor.
The current-voltage mirror includes a PMOS current mirror having an input coupled to the fourth node, and a source terminal coupled to the first node, as well as an NMOS current mirror having an input coupled to the output of the PMOS current mirror, an output coupled to the fourth node, a first source terminal forming the second node, and a second source terminal forming the third node. The current mirror portion includes a PMOS transistor having a gate forming the control terminal, a drain forming the output, and a source forming the input. The differential amplifier includes a single-ended output, a PMOS load circuit, a first NMOS transistor having a gate forming the first input, a drain coupled to the PMOS load circuit, and a source, a second NMOS transistor having a gate forming the second input, a drain coupled to the PMOS load circuit, and a source, and a third NMOS transistor having a drain coupled to the sources of the first and second NMOS transistors, a gate for receiving a bias voltage, and a source coupled to ground. The bandgap reference circuit also includes a start-up circuit coupled to the gate of the transistor, as well as to the first and second inputs and output of the differential amplifier.
It is a major advantage of this invention that about a factor of ten reduction in the bandgap reference voltage variation due to NMOS and PMOS transistor variations can be achieved.
This invention discloses a bandgap circuit having an output bandgap reference voltage that is substantially independent of temperature, process and supply voltage variations.